Sunday, November 11, 2012

Blog Entry for November 5 to November 11, 2012

The U.S. Election happened this week. I was disappointed with the result and felt some despondency. However, if the election had gone the other way, I don't think I would have felt complete exhilaration. Thinking about the result during the week, I realized the election was the victory of sheer nasty awfulness and vulgarity over Millard Filmore Mediocrity. Americans are going to have to suffer in a terrible way before they realize the errors of their ways. That is the only thing Conservatives have to look forward to for the immediate oncoming future.

Please read this entry all the way through, and see if you can detect the dishonesty. If you can detect any, please kindly (or unkindly -- I appreciate all comments) tell me about them.

Gratitude I am thankful for things to take solace in that are not of this world.

Acknowledgment I can only stay in a snit for so long. I just can't be consistent. And another thing: Memories from the past of some terrible things I have done suddenly strike me. This is a good thing. And that is the point of this feature of my weekly entry.

Requests 1) Rare readers! More criticism! It seems I only have one critic. I need more to be persuaded that I am more wrong than I concede I already am! 2) Chicoms! Stop f**ing blocking the Internet.

The Wuxi Corrupt Officials

Here is the logo of Wuxi China's official NFL fantasy team:

Oh no! They have lost their third game in a row. The Corrupts record is 5-3, but they are still in first place in their division. Four teams in the twelve team record have 5-3 records.

Reading

Thucydides

The Everlasting Man by GK Chesterton

The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Economic Sophisms by Frederic Bastiat

Provocations: an anthology of writings by Soren Kierkergaard

Maybe Canada is Cool!

Despite my attempts to suck up to Canada by giving it the backhanded compliment of saying it isn't cool, I hear that Canadians would have supported Obama more than Americans did. Mon dieu! Cool is the victory of Style over substance.

The first link praises Obama's campaign tactics. The second link laments the unseriousness of the American electorate. The third link says the election was proof that democracy is a joke. The fourth link advocates a hereditary monarchy -- the problem with democracy being that it attracts a certain sort of politician who shouldn't be leader because he is willing to do what it takes to win elections. The fifth link, from Peter Hitchens, says American presidential elections are a joke for they are almost always battles between mediocrities.

Of all the five links, I would have to say I am in most sympathy with the last two. The institution of the Monarchy in Canada and England has a genius to it that I hadn't really appreciated till I matured -- having a figure who is only there by accident of birth instead of political considerations is a wonderful thing. Also, Democracy seems to have evolved in Canada and the United States to a situation where ideas don't seem to be seriously discussed in elections -- instead leaders are chosen for superficial reasons. It would seem the time is right for a return of hereditary monarchs as head of governments -- the people are too dumb for democracy and people who want to have power are not to be trusted.

I remember watching a documentary on the eve of the 1988 presidential election in which George Bush ran against Michael Dukakis. The summation of the careers of the two candidates leading up the election had me wondering how such a great country as America could have such mediocre candidates for their presidency -- and at that time, I was a left-leaning fool. This recollection combined with Peter Hitchen's further observation of the mediocrity of the Romney - Obama matchup, got me thinking. So many mediocrities have earned the presidential nomination -- there was McCain, Kerrey, Algore, Dole, Clinton, and the most unaccomplished of them: Obama. Other than the color of his skin, Obama really didn't have any executive accomplishments to boost of -- he was the beneficiary of a promotion and publicity machine that was able to sucker in millions.

Monday

I don't work and I don't sleep in. I have to be up at 700 a.m. to help Tony go off to school.

In the evening, I connected the laptop to the big screen television so Tony could watch Ultraman videos. At one point he drifted around the room in order to imitate the flying maneuvers of the super hero characters. Something that people who have viewed Scenes from My Life in Wuxi, China #32 may be familiar with.

At bedtime, heavy eyelids stop me from reading and tell me it is time to go to bed.

Tuesday

I don't work and I don't sleep in. As I did yesterday, I helped send Tony off to school.

I wear three layers of clothes outside.

The sudden onset of cool and cold weather has caused my wife Jenny & I to have colds. I feel stuffed up. Jenny has a cough.

I work 1300-2100, more or less. I have an afternoon SPC and then I do a company class.

I start following the election results at 1000 a.m. At lunchtime, Real Clear Politics shows Romney leading, but I think Obama will end up winning in the end.

The election has me feeling giddy. That is, I can't concentrate on the task at hand.

Obama wins! Concentrate on work -- I tell myself! What's done is done! So much for Hope!

At least I was smart enough to not make any predictions.

I am too numb to be upset!

The wilderness, politically speaking, is where it seems I am. Unlike the other zealots, I am planning on throwing any real bombs, just barbs.

On the bright side, I have discovered the voice control feature on my Ipod Touch. It is novelty, I don't know if it is useful in any way.

Funny how all the psychic energy I had devoted to hoping for a Romney victory has dissipated. As David Warren mentions, Verily: our Kingdom is not of this world.

I talk to Tony on the phone. We are still working at having phone conversations. He tells me that he wants me to buy him a Toby Train -- a character from Thomas & Friends. I tell him to wait till Christmas.

Thursday

I work 1000-2100. I have a company English Corner this afternoon. The topic? Advertising & Marketing.

On the way to school and on the bus, I saw a man practicing cross-country skiing on a sidewalk's pavement near the Baoli Shopping Center. He had two poles and no skis. What he was doing was making the motions of skiing, swinging the poles like he was putting them into snow and stepping like he had skis on his feet.

It is the day after the terrible election results. I have read that a few conservatives have given up on the political process while some are vowing to bravely fight on.

I walked to Nanchang Temple Market at lunchtime. I was waiting for a phone call that I never received. I wandered through the Nanchang Book Market. It seemed a forlorn place. I wondered how the magazine merchants could make money these days. While I was there, I looked for something to buy for Tony but there was nothing with a Train theme. There were Ultraman books but Tony already had some. Just as I was leaving the market, it started to rain and I had not brought my umbrella. Thankfully, it didn't rain heavily enough that I got drenched.

I did the class on advertising and marketing. I had an exercise in which I showed advertisements to the students and asked them to guess what products were for sale. One ad showed a sad looking mailman. In the corner of the photo was a blue pill. The students didn't notice the blue pill so they had no idea what the ad was trying to promote. They guessed express delivery services ties and bicycles I told them the blue pill was Viagra but one student, who had been to Australia for a few years, understood. He told the other students what the ad was for in Chinese, and they all said ah!!!! (Should I have done this? It was a display of vulgarity after all. I try to amuse as I educate. That is my defence.)

Friday

My parting words to Tony, as I send him off to school, are that he be a good boy -- beating up only those who try to beat him up, and kicking their ass in this process. This morning, I said this to him and he said okay in response. Now, whether he meant or it not, I just don't know. The little bugger is passive around other children and lets them bully him.

On the bus, I see a three minute long infomercial about my school. I made a very brief appearance in it, but I did see my work place. What a strange thing, to be greeted by video of your work place just as you take your seat on the bus.

I work 1100-2100. I have an English corner at 1900. The topic: Mobile Phones.

I am starting to get Tony to anticipate Christmas. It is less than two months away I tell him.

Chinese students have their heads full of the knowledge that they need to pass tests. Unfortunately, they have the imaginations of soda cans. When they answer questions, they say what they think they have to say and seem to forget that the purpose of an English class is to increase their English-speaking abilities and not treat each question asked them as if it was a test question to be quickly gotten through.

Election result thoughts: I should try to be defiant but I don't have the heart now. I should take solace from the fact that the Soviet Union fell and the Chinese gave up on full-blown Communism, and that maybe more such sterling moments will happen in my life time. But, alas, these things aren't going to happen in the near future or before I die. I am afraid I won't live to see them. (I suppose many Leftists who try to promote themselves as anti-Communist download '89 because it happened during a Republican Presidency.)

Tomorrow will be Remembrance Day. I have many things planned on my blogs to commemorate: here, here, and here.

Meanwhile, tomorrow in China will be singles day because of of the date with all the ones -- 11/11. I can't go along with this local tradition since it would involve have to denigrate a more solemn one. The freedoms that the Chinese do have today can be attributed, not so much to their leaders, as to the sacrifices made by soldiers from Canada, England, Australia and America.

I took a video of Tony acting. That is, he said something very clever and show-manlike for the camera. I had seen him do a interesting thing and so I asked him to do it again in a video and he gladly obliged. (Don't worry, I didn't ask him to run around the restaurant. In fact, I have heeded the advice of a rare reader, and locked him in a dungeon so that he never goes in public again during his childhood. He he he....)

No comments:

AKIC

I am Canadian. I have lived in Wuxi, China since September 2004. I teach English. In this blog, I recount the things I have seen and the experiences I have had here in Wuxi. I also make comments on things that strike my reactionary fancy.